CSR Report2014

1.1 2014 was an exciting year for Boyer. It saw a growing demand for our services which has enabled us to expand both in our core planning and design services and also diversify into different sectors including heritage and development economics.

1.2 With the growth of our company we recognise that we have a greater impact upon the environment, a greater number of staff, a larger client base, and have more opportunities to work within our communities.

1.3 Accordingly, and in response to our growing responsibilities, 2014 also saw the formal introduction of our company policy on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

1.4 The purpose of this first Annual Report is to set out our formal CSR Policy commitment and to reflect on the positive contributions we have made in respect of CSR during 2014.

1. Introduction page 3

2. About Us 4 Our approach 4 Our values 5

3. Our CSR Policy 6

4. Our Communities 7 Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service (Wokingham Office) 8 Vauxhall City Farm (London Office) 9 Gofal (Cardiff Office) 9 Colchester Emergency Night Shelter (Colchester Office) 10 Shooting Star Chase Children’s Hospice (Twickenham Office) 11

5. Our People 12

6. Our Environment 14

7. 2014 CSR at Boyer 16

8. Monitoring And Review 20

Contributors: Michael Rees, Bruce Dcruze, Julia Mountford, Libby Hindle and Barbara Gannon.

1 INTRODUCTION

CONTENTS

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COREVALUES

2.1 Boyer is a multi-skilled national planning consultancy. Our collaborative approach is based on lasting partnerships with clients and other stakeholders. We provide honest, realistic and practical advice and recruit, develop and retain the best professionals in the industry.

2.2 Our approach recognises that people are at the heart of the planning system. We understand that the key to achieving positive outcomes is the strength of the relationship built with those involved in the planning process.

OUR APPROACH

2.3 As a company responding to the needs of our clients and the communities within which we work, we strive to be:

OUR VALUES

2.4 Our approach is underpinned by our company values, which are identified within three key aspects of our business: organisation values, individual skills, and professional competences.

2.5 By actively demonstrating our commitment towards corporate social responsibility we are meeting many of our core values. In order to ensure this is integral to the way we work as a company, we have agreed a formal CSR policy which sets out how we will incorporate it into our work and activities.

2 ABOUT US

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3.1 In recognition of our responsibilities, our CSR Policy is 'to recognise and integrate corporate social responsibility within our everyday activities, projects and within our local communities'.

3.2 In integrating this into our day to day activities we have identified the following key policy components:

■ Our communities - we dedicate time for staff to work on local schemes and initiatives with charities and other organisations within our local communities. This includes voluntary work, fundraising and education initiatives.

■ Our people - we invest in our people and ensure that they are up to date with the latest skills and information to enable them to provide the best service they can to our clients. This includes professional CPD and training, team building exercises, and reward schemes.

■ Our environment - we are committed to the implementation of environmental policies across the company. In particular we are committed to achieving ISO14001 certification in 2015.

3.3 These key priorities have formed the focus for us in 2014. The following sections set out an overview of how we have approached these over the year.

We dedicate time for staff to work on local schemes and initiatives, with charities and other organisations within our local communities. This includes voluntary work, fundraising and education initiatives.

3 OUR CSR POLICY

4 OUR COMMUNITIES

4.1 It is important to us that we play an active role in our local area. We can have a positve impact on our communities through everyday activities, projects and in helping to facilitate creative solutions.

4.2 In addition to this, our staff are encouraged to participate in charitable events. Each of our offices have chosen a specific local charity with significance to them. It is our intention to focus our fundraising activities on our chosen charities.

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OUR CHARITIES ARE:

Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service Wokingham Office

4.3 Fiona and John Devine set up this Windsor-based charity, named after their son, Alexander, who died aged 8 from a brain tumour. During the four years that Alexander was ill they realised the desperate need for specialist children’s palliative care in Berkshire and the additional pressure families are put under without a central point of expertise, respite and care. The charity’s emphasis is on providing care and support in the families’ own community.

4.4 As a company we initally provided help to the charity to find a suitable site for providing care and secure planning permission. Following this we have worked closely with the Romans Group to fundraise and support the hospice.

Vauxhall City Farm London Office

4.5 Vauxhall City Farm is a little piece of countryside in the City. They are a registered charity providing visitors and the local community with educational activities, riding lessons and a peaceful escape from city life. The Farm offer a range of free or subsidised educational, recreational and therapeutic activities to people across London.

4.6 The London office elected to support Vauxhall City Farm during 2014 because they recognise the value the Farm provides to the local community. Through working with the Farm to obtain planning permission to redevelop and enhance their facilities, the London office has had first hand experience of the value of this community charity. The Boyer London team has not only raised money for the Farm during 2014, but they volunteered along with other supporters of the charity to undertake maintenance work and painting to improve the existing facilities.

Gofal Cardiff Office

4.7 A Welsh mental health and wellbeing charity, Gofal provides a range of services that support people’s independence, their mental health, wellbeing and their personal journeys of recovery. They consider that with the right support, people can exceed expectations, moving forward to live happy and fulfilled lives.

4.8 The Cardiff office chose to support Gofal due to the important work they undertake in the local area and within the communities in which we work. This ranges from awareness raising to provision of accommodation and appropriate support. We have first hand experience of working with Gofal in support of Ty Oborne House in Caerphilly, a scheme which provides much needed support to the local community.

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Colchester Emergency Night Shelter Colchester Office

4.9 Colchester Emergency Night Shelter is a vital service for anyone in the Borough of Colchester who may have fallen off the ladder of life and needs help getting back on. Homelessness is an acute issue in Colchester. It has recently been reported in Colchester’s Draft Homelessness Strategy 2014 – 2019 that the number of rough sleepers across the town has increased from 10 in 2010 to 35 in 2013.

4.10 With much of their own work focussed on assisting clients with the delivery of housing and infrastructure, the Colchester Office felt that supporting a charity which provides accommodation and assistance to those most in need was a fitting choice.

4.11 Through their work with the Night Shelter the team quickly became aware that the provision of support to the homeless is a complex and challenging task that receives little public recognition and which has a great need for financial resources.

4.12 The Night Shelter is currently able to provide short-term emergency accommodation and facilities for up to 21 men and women. In addition to accommodation, the Shelter provides help, advice and support in the effective and lasting resettlement of homeless individuals. The charity is in need of funds to help with day-to-day running costs, to allow them to update their accommodation and augment the support services they offer so that residents can develop the necessary resources to help themselves find and maintain their own accommodation.

Shooting Star Chase Children’s Hospice Twickenham Office

4.13 Shooting Star Chase is a children’s hospice charity caring for babies, children and teenagers with life-limiting conditions, not expected to reach their 19th birthday.

4.14 The Twickenham office chose to support a charity local to their office. When researching local charities and seeing so many worthwhile causes to support, Shooting Star Chase stood out to the whole team with the amazing work they do.

4.15 They currently help over 600 families living in West London, Surrey and West Sussex. Families receive their support free of charge, 365 days a year both in their own homes and at their children’s hospices in Hampton and Guildford.

4.16 With no guaranteed Government funding they must raise £23,000 a day to continue their vital service. They rely on donations and fundraising to maintain their vital support. Every pound raised will help them continue to provide care for these very special families.

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5.1 We recognise that people are the heart of our business and provide a range of initiatives for our staff, these include:

5.2 TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

We invest in our people and ensure that they are up to date with the latest skills and information to enable them to provide the best service they can to our clients.

5.3 STAFF FEEDBACK

We encourage feedback on all elements of our business and where it can be improved. During the year we conduct a staff survey and 360 reviews of our Directors to ensure that staff have an opportunity to contribute to improving the business.

Team meetings are held regularly and ensure all staff can contribute to and receive feedback on the direction of the Company. In addition we have established the Associate Directors’ Group which facilitates an opportunity for the Associate Directors across the company to come together to share information and best practice in a range of areas.

5.4 Our senior staff provide close support to junior members in working through their APC to becoming chartered members of the RTPI. This includes assigning experienced mentors to each graduate and providing support through the process. A review panel has been established to help our gradutes ensure that their applications for RTPI membership are of the highest standard and that they benefit from a wide range of planning experience.

We invest in our people and ensure that they are up to date with the latest skills and information to enable them to provide the best service they can to our clients. This includes professional CPD and training, team building exercises, and reward schemes.

5 OUR PEOPLE

5.5 SOCIAL EVENTS

We arrange a number of social events for staff to come together. This summer we held a staff softball day in London. Our April staff conference included ‘Strictly Boyer’ a group dance lesson for the whole company and our September staff conference included a team building exercise co-ordinated by ‘Active Gamerz’.

5.6 FLEXIBLE WORKING

Staff benefit from flexible working hours to ensure an appropriate work life balance.

5.7 STAFF REWARD SCHEMES

Our staff can take advantage of our employee rewards scheme which provides discounts on shopping and holidays.

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6.1 We promote good planning practice. We seek to ensure social, economic and environmental sustainability principles are incorporated in our planning strategies and development proposals. We are committed to good town planning.

6.2 We are committed to achieving ISO14001 during 2015. We have set out initial objectives in respect of ISO14001, which will require that we:

■ Establish our baseline positions to ensure we can monitor and reduce energy usage.

■ Introduce monitoring of our recycling to ensure on going improvements.

■ The development of office Travel Plans for our offices to assist staff and clients travel needs.

6.3 We will continue to raise environmental awareness in all staff and encourage participation in environmental initiatives.

We are committed to the implementation of environmental policies across the company. In particular we are committed to achieving ISO14001 during 2015.

6 OUR ENVIRONMENT

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After years of excellent service at Boyer, David Lander retires

Staff Conference Day and salsa dancing activity takes place

7 2014 CSR AT BOYERStuart Willsher (right) appointed a RTPI Ambassador

Flexible Working and Holiday Purchase policies introduced to staff

Michael Rees, Simon Barry, James Bailey, Phillip Allin and Jon Lieberman are promoted

Colchester limit themselves to one printer with grayscale default setting

Boyer start to turn all scrap paper into note books

Wokingham install motion sensor lights to reduce their carbon footprint

Boyer attend Graduate Recruitment Fairs at Birmingham and Oxford Brookes Universities

Wokingham's Valentines Day Tombola raises £118 for Alexander Devine Children's Hospice

Wokingham vote for Alexander Devine Children's Hospice to help get a £2,000 grant

Donna Palmer, Joseph Daniels and Jenny Hebb are promoted

Cardiff attend a RTPI wine tasting and networking event

Michael Rees gives a geography presentation at Crickhowell High School for a GCSE project

Jenny Hebb and Fiona Jones volunteer to refurbish Vauxhall City Farm's education centre

Boyer attend a go-karting endurance race hosted by the Berkley Foundation and donate £1,000 to Queen Elizabeth's Foundation for Disabled People

Colchester's bake sale and raffle raises £270 for Colchester Emergency Night Service charity

Steve Punter is promoted to Director, Head of Design at Boyer

Heritage Collective presentation about the NPPG implications on heritage planning in a post Barnwell Manor

Company-wide World Cup Charity Auction takes place and winning office, Colchester, donates £2,000 to Colchester Emergency Night Shelter

The Design Team make the switch to thinner, recycled tracing papers

Wokingham make plastic and can recycling facilities available to staff

Wokingham host a Graduate Recruitment Day to find a candidate for the company (left)

Elections CPD is held in Boyer's London office

Colchester office pass ISO Surveillance Audit

FEBRUARY

MAY

MARCH

JUNE

JANUARY

APRILQ1

Q2

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Boyer's 2014 Christmas Party to be held at the prestigious Aviator Hotel in Farnborough

Boyer Colchester raise money for it's chosen charity, Colchester Night Shelter, with a Festive Bake Sale

Summer Staff Day 2014: Staff meet in Regents Park for a Softball tournament and an evening out

Staff from Colchester meet at Orford for crabbing, walking and a pub lunch

Boyer enters the annual RTPI South East ‘Planning Sans Frontier’ and wins first place

London takes part in a quiz night in aid of Vauxhall City Farm

Twickenham donate their birthday cake money to Shooting Star Chase Children’s Hospice

Associate Director James Bailey discusses his WWII re-enactment interest in Planning magazine

Internal launch of the new brand and presentation of the Business Strategy, together with the introduction of new Non-Executive Director, Kay Chaldecott and Marketing Manager, Satvinder Hothi

Asher Ross presents ‘An Examination of the Coalition policy for five-year land supplies’ at the RTPI Seminar

Owen Jones and John-Rhys Davies complete the Cardiff half-marathon

Wokingham Office challenge themselves to ‘Stoptober’, giving up sweet treats for the

month in aid of Alexander Divine Children’s Hospice

Managing Director Jane Hirst is promoted to the Romans Group Board

Ananya Banerjee joins the Design Team as an Associate Director

Director Mike Newton presents and lead a debate challenging the future of Local Planning at Planning magazine's ‘Planning for Housing’ conference

Michael Gooch skydives to raise money for the Cardiff office’s charity, Gofal

Colchester ‘dress-down’ once a month to raise money for Colchester Night Shelter

Andrew Jackson and Cathy Hall join Boyer to establish the Development Economics Team

Michael Gooch is elected as a member of the YPC Steering Group as Communications Officer

Colchester have lunchtime 5-a-side football sessions and play clients in evening matches

Wokingham launch a staff car sharing initiative

Director Ray Ricks completes the ‘Ride London 100’ cycling event raising money for Colchester Emergency Night Shelter

Colchester Office attend a Planning Law Update seminar

Virtual balloon race launched in aid of the Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice

Colchester team up with clients, East of England Co-op, to host a five-a-side football tournament

Boyer defines its objectives for achieving ISO 14001 certification in 2015

AUGUST

NOVEMBER

SEPTEMBER

DECEMBER

JULY

Q3

OCTOBER

Q4

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8.1 The Head of Boyer London is responsible for Corporate Social Responsibility at Boyer and reports to the Boyer Board of Directors. This report will be reviewed annually.

Hayley Ellison Director, Head of Boyer London January 2015

8 MONITORING AND REVIEW

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